Sammas Gomein
'''Sammas Gomein', was a Gilnean lawyer and mayor of Deadhollow following the defeat of Lord Giles. His leadership lasted until his death during the Forsaken Invasion. Appearance By the time of the Dead Men Crisis, Sammas was described as being well-dressed, with grey hair and a mustache. =History= ---- Rise to Power During the First War, the town of Deadhollow became a hotbed of traitorous witches in service of the Burning Legion. Over time would be revealed that Lord Giles, the ruler of Deadhollow and the nearby manor of Gaval Moch had been harboring these witches, allowing many of its citizens to be sacrificed in their dark rituals. Following a series of skirmishes, the coven was cleansed by Gilneas, but at the cost of much of its population and infrastructure. To make matters worse, a vengeful Greymane imposed heavy tariffs on the village, and withdrew support. The villagers were forced to turn to other lordships and even other kingdoms, but they were turned away as either demon worshipers, traitors or both. Many withdrew from Silverpine altogether, and those that remained were destitute and leaderless. However, Sammas, a mere lawyer at the time, would rise to the occasion, becoming the villiage's first mayor. Under Gomein's guidance, the ruined village would return to some semblance of its former self, and he became beloved by his people. Independence Policy Ultimately the King would close Gilneas off from Silverpine, leaving Deadhollow to fend for itself. The mayor would consider this the final straw, declaring secession from Gilneas and independence from all foreign powers. Although the population remained low, this would ultimately prove a valuable asset in the coming years, as first Undead and then Worgen raided the surrounding lands. The shabby town remained inconspicuous and unimportant to even the Scourge. Occasionally, the villagers were shaken by stray beasts or small skeletal contingents, but they remained able to either fend them off or hide within their seemingly ruined homes. Unlike neighboring human towns, Deadhollow would welcome both Alliance and Horde, and remained strictly neutral towards both. This unique policy left Sammas and his constituents with sense of safety, although fellow Gilnean holdovers such as the denizens of Pyrewood tended to stay clear of the village out of fear. Sammas grew uneasy as well, as tales of a dark presence remaining in Gaval Moch spread. Undead figures robed in black, strange, houndlike creatures with enormous jaws and horns. One hunter claimed he saw a giant spidery creature, wielding a staff or spear in humanlike hands. Due to this history of the fortress and his own recollection of the Shadow Coven, this was especially disturbing news. Long since had Gareth Bayne slain the great witch within, but all who knew of Gaval Moch knew never to return. Sammas feared a lingering evil had at last returned. Dead Men's Tale This relative stability would change when a band of massive ogres and a dreadlord caught the city by surprise, annihilating all in their path and causing untold destruction in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, a party of adventurers had been on their way to the inn when this occurred, and quickly sprung into action. After a gruesome battle between what seemed like three forces, the heroes emerged victorious, while the ogres lay lifeless and the dreadlord retreated elsewhere. The fatherly Mayor thanked the party for his home's salvation, but remained perturbed. Believing the nathrezim to be involved with the evil in Gaval Moch, Sammas offered the heroes a modest sum of gold in exchange for the investigation, and, if need be, the purification of the ruin. To his bewilderment and joy, the adventurers returned victorious yet again, defeating the evil and abating what ever dark fate awaited his town. In thanks, the village thew an inordinately huge party, perhaps to make up for lost time, as they rarely were able to celebrate anything. In addition to wining and dining the heroes to excess (breaking into underground stores in the process) it is said the mayor likely renamed the village after one of the heroes that saved it. What that name was became lost to the annals of history soon after. Understandably, the villagers beseeched the heroes to stay and protect them, but understood that this was not possible. Fall of Deadhollow Following the Cataclysm, the gates of Gilneas crumbled in, expediating what turned out to be an already deadly invasion of Forsaken. Despite the desperation of his former countrymen, Sammas remembered both his prosperous neutrality and the neglect of his king. Deadhollow would refuse to raise arms against the Horde. Tragically, this would do little to ensure their safety. As the war seemed to turn in favor of the Alliance, Sylvanas Windrunner set her sights on ever more desperate tactics. Horde recognizance informed the Banshee Queen of Deadhollow and its strategic position. After receiving intelligence that the village was harboring enemy refugees, she sent an envoy to demand all Gilnean evacuees be handed over, and the village turned over to the horde along with all of their valuables. The mayor along with his faithful constituents admonished the queen for this blatant act of tyranny, and outright refused. In response, she deployed the full force of the Legion of Vengeance into the town, ordering it to be swiftly razed and converted into a Horde Garrison. Like a locust swarm, the Forsaken washed over Deadhollow, launching copious amounts of blight on its buildings and purging the land of all life. Mayor Gomein ordered his people to lock themselves away as they had often done in the past, but it did little good. The Town Hall was soon blighted, and the mayor was forced out. He was quickly met with a shadowbolt from Master Apothecary Seleste Felsorrow, leader of the force, and crippled. She ordered him to behold all that his arrogance had brought upon his village. Sammas watched in abject horror as the Legion tore his people from their homes, butchering innocents in the streets, but he remained proud of his people's loyalty. Spitting in Seleste's direction, he defiantly claimed that the doctor may take their lives, but she could never deprive them of their independence. In retort, Felsorrow ordered the dead be raised, and watched gleefully as they descended on his helpless, screaming body and ate him alive.Category:Characters Category:Gilnean Category:Deceased Category:Independent